A year after signing for Arsenal, it’s safe to say the jury is still out regarding Swedish striker Viktor Gökeres.
Center forwards are the definition of Marmite character. Meanwhile, he became the Gunners’ top scorer in 2025/26 with 21 goals. he was of This season, they are leading the way in winning the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years.
However, on the other hand, there is still a lot of room for improvement in his overall play. Compared to strikers in Europe’s top five leagues, the former Coventry City player ranks in the bottom 10% for dribble success rate and in the bottom 73% for aerial duel win rate.
He simply can’t match players and struggles to hold onto the ball. There’s not much I liked about it other than the goal score.
As a result, Mikel Arteta’s front line gives the impression that it is still unfinished. This explains some of the links we have already seen in the transfer market.
Arsenal aim to sign big-money striker
A year ago, Arsenal splashed the cash to bring Gökeres into the club, but things haven’t exactly gone to plan. As a result, several strikers have already been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium this summer.
Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Crupi is another player on the radar, but the Cherries have no intention of selling, with the young Frenchman reportedly valued at between £80m and £100m.
Nevertheless, he would be a great signing. After all, he is one of Europe’s top young strikers. No teenager in history has scored more goals (13) in his debut season in the Premier League.
That being said, there is a more proven centre-forward on the shortlist and his name is Julian Alvarez.
Earlier this week, reports emerged suggesting the Atletico Madrid striker is very keen on a move to north London if his dreams of joining Barcelona don’t come true.
Real Madrid have already seen their £130m bid for his services rejected this summer as Atlético had no intention of selling to fellow La Liga club.
This sparked interest from Arsenal, but a move seems unlikely until the situation with Barça is resolved.
Fabrizio Romano revealed on his YouTube channel: “The two clubs also tried to join the story of Julian Álvarez, trying to understand whether the impasse between Barça and Atlético could open the door to new possibilities.”
Romano continued: “One of the clubs is PSG. PSG tried. Arsenal also approached Alvarez and his camp, but the answer from the player was: ‘Thank you, but I want to go to Barcelona.’ This is what Julien told Arsenal and PSG.”
Why Alvarez is Arsenal’s best striker since Auba
Arsenal have really struggled to find a consistent striker in recent years. Gokeres may have attracted a lot of criticism, but he ended the season as the highest goalscorer in a single season since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2019-20.
Arsenal’s top scorer by season | ||
|---|---|---|
season | player | the goal |
2025/26 | Victor Gokeres | twenty one |
2024/25 | Kai Havertz | 15 |
2023/24 | Bukayo Saka | 20 |
2022/23 | Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli | 15 |
2021/22 | Bukayo Saka | 12 |
2020/21 | alexandre lacazette | 17 |
2019/20 | PE Aubameyang | 29 |
2018/19 | PE Aubameyang | 31 |
It is a real shame that Aubameyang left the team after being stripped of his captaincy and told to pack his bags after an unauthorized trip to Spain.
During his time at the Emirates, he was one of the club’s best centre-forwards in the modern era. His best performance in front of goal was 31 goals. No player at Emirates can replicate those numbers.
He had incredible speed and devastating decisiveness that rivaled Robin van Persie and Alexis Sanchez. Gökeres himself is versatile in front of goal, but unlike other players, he doesn’t have the all-round game to dominate in the Premier League.
In Alvarez’s form, there is a good chance they will sign Aubameyang, the next ruthless centre-forward capable of scoring 30 goals a season.
The Argentine has long been regarded as one of the best strikers in European football, and his move to Atleti has only confirmed that claim.
In his debut year with Madrid, the former Manchester City man scored no fewer than 29 times. Last season he was a bit slow with 20 goals, but still contributed a lot in the build-up.
That’s one of the plus points of Alvarez’s fight compared to Goqueres. He ranks in the top 20% of players in a similar position on the African continent when it comes to dribbling success and in the top 6% when it comes to progressive actions. Like Aubameyang, he is an incredibly direct player, even if he quietly doesn’t boast the same pace and acceleration.
In fact, Álvarez is worse than Goqueres in the air, ranking in the worst 3% of players, but he organizes his matches much better, ranking in the top 9% of strikers as an expected threat in the build-up phase of play.
Expected threat (xT) is a metric that quantifies how much a player’s actions (such as passes or carries) increase the team’s chances of scoring.
Auba, with his ability to play on the left, was also particularly strong when it came to linking up with his team-mates, so we are really excited that Arsenal have signed their best centre-forward since the Gabonese international left in 2022.
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